Stranger Danger

Feng Qingyou did not encounter any problems because she was half a step behind Ye Qing, and any obstacle they faced had been taken care of by Ye Qing. He was basically her landmine tripper!

As soon as Feng Qingyou finished, a blob of unknown liquid fell from the sky and splattered right across Ye Qing’s face. A rock he was stepping on had suddenly given way and nearly tripped him as well.

“Next time, please don’t forget something so important, sister! I could’ve used the warning before I got hit by bird shit!”

That’s right, the suspicious liquid that hit his face was bird shit. He just barely controlled the urge to vomit when the smell had entered his nostrils.

Ye Qing burned the filth with his Burning Wind before looking at the horde of Black and White Spectres blocking their way. He immediately stomped the ground so hard that the earth jutted out of the ground, and everything in front of him was torn to shreds. At the same time, he rotated his waist backward, gathered all of his force at one point of his fist, and punched. The Burning Wind surged across the sky like it would consume it all.

“Cloud Vaporization Style”

All Black and White Spectres within tens of meters of them were engulfed by Burning Wind. Dark red flames gushed out of their bodies and melted them into goo, and an entire swathe of Strangers were cleared out just like that.

This was the first time Ye Qing executed the “Cloud Vaporization Style” in full force. It was so powerful that not even the Black and White Spectres could withstand a single hit.

But they didn’t need to. The powders poured in and threatened to undo his efforts once more.

“Motherfucker! This is utter horseshit!” Ye Qing swore out loud this time. You think you’re good just because you have infinite revives? Why yes you are! Someone get me out of here!

“Whatever it is you’re doing, Qingyou, hurry up. I won’t be able to stop them much longer.”

Feng Qingyou remained as calm as ever. She waved her hand, and a yellow talisman suddenly appeared in the sky. It shone like the sun and manifested the word “Suppress” out of nowhere. Suddenly, everything around them froze as if their time was stopped. Then, Feng Qingyou uttered quietly and solemnly, “Go back.”

Her words were simple, but it might as well be an imperial decree. Not only did the plants recede back to the forest, some of them even parted like the Red Sea and revealed a clear, narrow path straight toward the exit. The overflowing malice of the forest had also disappeared like it never was.

“You can do that?” Ye Qing stared at the path and the frozen Black and White Spectres in shock. Why didn’t you use it as soon as you’re finished plucking the fruits then? Do you enjoy watching me suffer or something?

As if noticing Ye Qing’s indignant stare, Feng Qingyou said innocently, “You looked like you were having fun, so I didn’t want to bother you.”

Oh, so it’s my fault now??

Ye Qing blinked. He felt like he had been toyed with by Feng Qingyou all night long. Not only did she work him like a horse, she even made him put on a circus show for her without noticing…

Just how smart is she? I am the man who saved Anyang, repelled the Nether Lord, and even screwed over Wang Luori, dammit! Does she think she can toy with me as she pleases?

“Don’t blank out, Joyless. The suppression talisman has a time limit, so we have to get out of the forest before it’s too late!” Feng Qingyou urged with a giggle, “…unless you were planning to accept the Black and White Spectres’ hospitality after all?”

“Hospitality my butt!” Ye Qing rolled his eyes and followed Feng Qingyou down the open path.

Oh, screw it. If she wants to toy with me, then so be it. A good guy’s gotta make some sacrifices here and there.

Without the plants to block their path, the duo was able to leave the Black White Forest with ease. Not a moment too soon, the golden light disappeared behind them. It was almost as if someone had calculated how much time it would take for them to leave the forest and used the talisman at that exact time.

The Black White Forest regained its vitality after the golden light had disappeared. The grass swayed, the trees moved side by side, and the edges of the forest were positively crawling with Black and White Spectres. Unlike before, their expressions were cold, dark, and bloodthirsty. They glared at Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou like they would eat them alive if they could.

Ye Qing was a little worried, but not Feng Qingyou. She shot the Black and White Spectres an uncaring glance before assuring him, “Don’t worry, they won’t be able to leave the forest.”

Ye Qing also looked away from the Strangers and asked, “Qingyou, why on earth did you go through all this trouble to collect the Black White Fruits?”

Despite everything Feng Qingyou had told him about the fruits, he did not think that the reward was worth the risk at all. She even had to use a valuable talisman to ensure their escape.

Feng Qingyou smiled. “You’ll find out tomorrow. Come, it’s time to head home!”

“What?” Ye Qing scratched his head puzzledly. “If I’m going to learn about it tomorrow, then why not just tell me about it now? There’s no—where are you going, Qingyou? Come on, don’t be like that! Just tell me already!”

Dammit, I hate it when people keep me in suspense! I’m the one who’s supposed to do it to others, not the other way around!

The duo had just returned to the commandery when Ye Qing’s inspection badge suddenly lit up and displayed a short line of text, “Longwind Street. All personnel are to come here immediately.”

The inspection badge was a special Strange Artifact all Pacification Sentinels working for the Inspection Department possessed. In a case of emergency, it could be activated to summon all Pacification Sentinels to the scene.

Generally speaking, the inspection badge wasn’t used unless there was an emergency. This could only mean that something really bad had happened.

“Something came up, Qingyou. I gotta go,” Ye Qing said in a hurry.

“No worries. I’ll see you later. Be careful!” She nodded and said.

“I will,” Ye Qing smiled and left just like that.

Ye Qing arrived very quickly since Longwind Street wasn’t far away from the gates. As soon as he rounded a corner, he saw a ton of Pacification Sentinels standing at the entrance like it was the headquarters.

“What happened, Zhou Xi?” Ye Qing asked when he strode over and saw his subordinate.

“My lord!” Zhou Xi saluted him before reporting, “I’m not sure about the reason, my lord, but over thirty civilians living at Longwind Street suddenly went insane and bit anyone they saw. Furthermore, anyone they attacked would quickly lose their minds and turn aggressive as well.”

“What’s the current situation?” Ye Qing frowned deeply.

“Lieutenant Xu has already locked down the place. He is currently leading the men and capturing the insane civilians.”

“Understood. Stay here and make sure that no one goes in or out of this place. This is doubly true for civilians living in Longwind Street. Only let them through after a thorough inspection. We don’t need this to spread and cause a greater panic.”

If the disease could spread, then it was imperative that they maintained a strict lockdown. Heavens only know what would happen if an infected were to escape.

Zhou Xi answered affirmatively, “Do not worry, my lord. We understand the dangers.”

Ye Qing entered Longwind Street as soon as he was done giving instructions. He had just passed through a small alley when he glimpsed three fat, rotten men from their bodies howling and pouncing toward a group of civilians. They were covered from head to toe in yellow liquid, and they stank so bad he could smell them all the way from where he was.

“Are those zombies?!” Ye Qing exclaimed in shock. The rotten men looked just like the zombies in the movies. Assuming he wasn’t mistaken, this mess just became a whole lot more complicated to deal with.

Shocked he might be, Ye Qing wasn’t slow to the rescue. He dashed in front of the zombies—well, they might have a different name in this world, but until he learned about it he was just going to call them zombies—and sent them flying with his sleeve.

“Huh?”

However, the three zombies quickly struggled back to their feet and pounced toward Ye Qing once more. This surprised him because he had put enough force into the attack to completely shatter the strength of a Qi Invoker and immobilize them temporarily, much less the rotting corpse of an ordinary civilian.

Judging from their movement and the feedback he got when he hit them, it would seem that these zombies were at least as strong and fast as a late-stage Qi Invoker. Not only that, they were immune to pain as well.

This time, he used three Blood Shadows to bind the three zombies to a nearby hitching post like a rope. Although a Blood Shadow was really just a product of blood and true qi, it was tough enough that the three zombies could not break free no matter how they struggled.

The reason Ye Qing didn’t just kill them outright was because he wasn’t sure if they could still be saved. If possible, he did not want to make a choice he would regret down the line.

After he took care of the three zombies, Ye Qing turned to the group of panicked civilians and asked, “Did anyone get hurt by those zombies?”

The eight civilians shook their heads immediately, but Ye Qing still inspected them carefully until he was certain they were telling the truth. He then said, “Head to the exit. You will find a troop of Pacification Sentinels guarding the place. Just follow their instructions, and you’ll be fine.”

“W-We will do that, my lord! Thank you!” The group left in a hurry after thanking Ye Qing.

Ye Qing wasn’t worried that they would run off like headless chickens. The Pacification Bureau was quite influential among the people of Chu, and they possessed the power to kill first and ask questions later. Even if these people were, for whatever reason, suicidal, he didn’t think they would dare to pay a member of the Pacification Bureau lip service.

Ye Qing continued down Longwind Street after sending the civilians away. On the way, he encountered many three-man squads who were capturing the zombies and escorting the civilians to safety.

Although the zombies were as strong as a late-stage Qi Invoker, their lack of intelligence was extremely easy to exploit. Every Pacification Sentinel was a battle-hardened warrior, so they could handle most situations by themselves.

On the rare occasion they encountered a group of zombies that was too big for them to handle, Ye Qing and Xu Banren would step up and take them out. All in all, it only took them a short while to capture every zombie in Longwind Street.

Back at the entrance, Xu Banren reported, “We’ve gathered them all in one place, Lord Ye.”

Ye Qing stared at the fifty or so transformed civilians with a deep frown, “Didn’t Zhou Xi say that there are only thirty or so zombies? Why do I count over fifty?”

“Zombies? That’s a fitting name,” Xu Banren commented before answering, “That’s because twenty or so people were wounded and changed before we subdued them all.”

“It’s that quick?” Ye Qing exclaimed in shock. While staring at the mindless, growling zombies with a heavy heart, he asked, “Did you find any clues or traces that a Stranger might be behind this?”

Xu Banren shook his head. “Not yet. It’s still too early to say though.”

Ye Qing wasn’t surprised by his reply. He had checked the zombies he caught with his spirit earlier, and he too found no traces or energies that might suggest that a Stranger was behind this. Moreover, he failed to find any clues that might pinpoint as to what had happened to these people.

“So, we have no idea what caused these people to change,” Ye Qing sighed. The headache was already settling in.

Xu Banren, the insensitive man, replied honestly, “That seems to be the case, Lord Ye.”

Ye Qing ordered, “Maintain the lockdown. No one is allowed to enter or leave this place without a thorough inspection. Also, separate those who are wounded by the zombies and the zombies. I want our doctors to take a look at them and see if they can be saved. If not, then you have my permission to kill them on the spot and burn the bodies. The last thing we need is for this… disease… to spread to the rest of Luo Shui.”

“As for the rest of the civilians, they will be relocated to a safe area. They are to remain under strict surveillance until we’re sure they won’t change into a zombie.”

“Besides that, I want them to be questioned closely. Hopefully, one of them will be able to provide us with a lead.”

“And of course, remind our brothers to be doubly careful when handling the infected. If they caught even a small scratch…”